Beam pallet assembly



Dec. 27, 1966 A. LESSHEIM 3,294,041

BEAM PALLET ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 17, 1965 with the permanent block beamsection.

United States Patent 3,294,041 BEAM PALLET ASSEMBLY Arno Lessheim, 109Beech Grove Ave., Batesville, Ind. 47006 Filed Sept. 17, 1965, Ser. No.488,118 6 Claims. (Cl. 108-58) This invention relates generally tomaterial handling equipment and more particularly to skids and palletsupon which material may be stored and transported.

Many varieties of skids and pallets are known. Yet there remains a needfor some means to solve the problem of a manufacturer or warehousemanwho employs pallets at his own location for storage and transportationof merchandise and also employs pallets for shipment out of his ownlocation, be it a warehouse or manufacturing plant. If the palletsshipped out have any significant value, he has an interest in the returnthereof in good condition to his plant. This is quite difficult tocontrol because once they have been shipped out of his plant they arefrequently subjected to mishandling, damage, loss, and intentional oraccidental exchange with dissimilar or inferior pallets belonging toothers, for example.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide apallet assembly overcoming the above mentionedproblems.

It is a further object to provide a pallet assembly having a permanentportion of high quality but inexpensive construction useful by its ownerfor long periods of time and also incorporate therewith a low cost, butadequate, disposable pallet satisfactory for shipment out of the ownersplant.

Described briefly, a typical embodiment of the present invention employsa rectangular board which serves alternately as a base board and a deckboard, this board being combined with a plurality of block beamsarranged thereon to provide maximum strength and form a permanent palletsection. Each block beam includes a pair of elongated vertically spacedparallel plates with a plurality of horizontally spaced support blocksafiixed thereto and disposed therebetween. The disposable pallet sectionis in the form of a grid including a plurality or horizontally spacedgrid plates mounted on plates of the block beams, and a plurality ofhorizontally spaced grid bars affixed to the top of the grid plates andextending transverse thereto. The grid plates, extending transverse tothe block beam plates on which they are mounted, have downwardlyprojecting locating blocks affixed thereto adjacent the block beam toprovide alignment of the disposable grid section The grid section isseparate from the block beam section for shipment of merchandise thereonout of the owners plant. The block beam section is thereupon availablefor use as a pallet or skid in the owners plant.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and the claims.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a typical embodiment of thebeam pallet assembly.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view, on a smaller scale, of another embodimentthereof.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram referred to in the description to explaina feature of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a board 11 is provided to serveas a base board for the pallet assembly illustrated. This is a boardhaving substantial surface area and a planar parallel upper and lowerface, a suitable material for such a board being plywood. Threeidentical block beam assemblies are mounted to the top surface of board11, these assemblies being identified by the reference numerals 12, 13,and 14. A detailed description of one of these block beams will sufficefor all, because they are identical.

Referring specifically to block beam 12, it includes a lower elongatedplate 16 aflixed directly to the top surface of board 11 by any suitablemeans such as glue, screws, or bolts, for example. Three identicalhorizontally spaced spacer and support blocks 17, 18 and 19 are afiixedto the top surface of plate 16, again by any suitable fastening means.An upper plate 21 is aflixed to the top of these blocks and may beidentical to the lower plate, and is disposed in parallel verticallyspaced relationship thereto. At the front end 22 of the board 11, afront end portion of the lower plate 16 projects forwardly both from theboard 11 and the block 17. This provides room for a hardwood impactstrip 23 to be placed immediately in front of the front end 22 of theboard and secured to the projecting portion 24 of the plate 16. A likeimpact strip 26 is provided at the rear end 27 of the board 11.

The unit which has been described thus far is considered the permanentpallet and for use by itself as a pallet it is simply inverted so thatthe block beam strips which are the upper strips in the drawing asdescribed to this point then become the lower strips and engage theground or floor or other surface to support the pallet. The board 11then becomes the load supporting and receiving deck. Because such apallet may be approached in the direction of the arrow 28 or in theopposite direction of the arrow 29, by a fork-lift truck, with thelifting forks being received between the block beams 12 and 13 and beams13 and 14, the plywood board edges could become damaged were it not forthe provision of the hardwood imp-act strips. It should be understood,of course, that because the pallet, when inverted is sup ported on theblock beams, and these beams are of the vertically spaced plate andhorizontally spaced support block construction, the lifting forks of afork-lift truck can also enter the pallet in the direction of the arrow31 or in the opposite direction thereto which is the direction of thearrow 32. In this instance, typically one fork enters between the blocks17 and 18 and the other fork enters between the blocks 18 and 19.

When the block beam pallet permanent section is employed as a base unit,a disposable pallet section 33 is mounted thereon according tothepresent invention to provide a complete block beam pallet assembly. Thisdisposable pallet section includes horizontally spaced elongated plates34, 36, and 37 which are mounted on top of the upper plates of the blockbeams and extend transverse thereto. The length of these grid plates isequal to the Width of the pallet base board 11 from the side tangentblock beam 12 to the side tangent block beam 14. A plurality of parallelhorizontally spaced grid bars 38 is mounted to the top of the gridplates, each of these bars being afiixed to the upper surface of each ofthe plates which it crosses, these bars extending parallel to the blockbeams. These grid bars serve to support whatever load is to be mountedon the pallet assembly.

Downwardly projecting blocks 39 are mounted to the grid platesimmediately inside of the outside block beams 12 and 14 and alongsidethe upper plates of these block beams. These blocks or feet 39 on thegrid assembly serve to position it so that it will not move with respectto the block beam assembly in the direction of either of the arrows 31or 32. They also can be useful when the disposable pallet section 33 isseparated from the block beam pallet section to provide supporting legsor feet therefor and facilitate the setting down or picking up thereofby a fork-lift truck.

When the disposable pallet is mounted on the permanent pallet as shownin the principal figure of the drawing, it can be removed therefrom by afork-lift approach- 'made of wood or other inexpensive material and canbe considered expendable. Yet it is adequate to support loads beingshipped out of the owners factory, and he need not be concerned whetherit is returned or not. After it is separated from the permanent pallet,the permanent pallet can be inverted for use in the owners plant howeverdesired. If it later becomes desirable to use the permanent pallet withdisposable pallets, in preparation, movement, and handling of goods forshipment outside, it is again inverted as shown in the principal figureof the drawing and assembled with the disposable pallet. In thisinstance, the fork-lift truck approaches in the direction of the arrow31 or 32 with the lifting forks engaging the lower faces of the upperplates of the block beams.

While the grid type has been described, other types of disposablepallets can be employed with the permanent pallet section. For example,as indicated in FIG. 2, a sheet of corrugated fiberboard or plywood 51can be placed directly on the outer plates 21 of the block beam to serveas a deck. The locating can be done by employing frusto-conical cups 52secured to the bottom thereof instead of blocks 39. These cups can be ofthe type such as shown in my copending application Ser. No. 468,890filed July 1, 1965, for example. A block beam pallet assembly employinga disposable sheet type of deck such as this, makes 100% of the area ofthe pallet available for load distribution. This permits stackingmerchandise palletized on these pallets to considerable heights withoutdamaging the merchandise.

Although FIG. 1 of the illustrated embodiments hereof shows three blockbeam modules, FIG. 2 shows four such modules. This illustrates that moreor less modules can be employed, if desired.

Another feature of the present invention can easily be overlooked unlessit is described. To appreciate this feature, one must first considerthat certain materials have greater beam strengths in one direction thanin another direction. For example, assuming that the board 11 is made ofa three ply sheet of plywood, the wood grain of the upper and lowersheets has one principal orientation direction, whereas the grain of theintermediate sheet has a principal orientation direction at 90 degreesthereto. This means that if the sheet of plywood has a vertical loadapplied to the center thereof as for example by means of a weight 41, inFIG. 3 and is supported at opposite sides by supports 42 and 43, if thegrain direction runs in the direction of the arrows 44 and 46 for theupper and lower sheets, the bending and deflection of the sheet will beconsiderably less than if the grain of only the inner sheet runs in thedirection of those arrows and the grain of the other sheets runsperpendicular thereto. So it can be said that the plywood has aprincipal beam strength direction parallel to the direction of the grainof the greatest number of distinct ply sheets therein.

So it is another feature of the present invention to construct thepallet so that the block beams extend in a direction transverse to thegreatest beam strength direction.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a beam pallet assembly, the combination comprising:

a first board means having an extended surface at the bottom thereof;

at least two block beams horizontally spaced on said first board meansand secured thereto, each of said block beams including a lowerelongated plate and an upper elongated plate and horizontally spacedspacer and support blocks affixed to the top surface of said lowerplate, the lower plate of each block beam being attached to said boardmeans and the upper plate for each block beam being disposed in parallelvertically spaced relationship to the lower plate thereof;

a disposable grid-type pallet section on top of said block beams andincluding a plurality of parallel horizontally spaced plates received onand supported by the upper plates of said block beams and extendingtrans- Versely thereto, a plurality of parallel horizontally spacedelongated grid bars mounted on the upper surface of said plates of saiddisposable pallet section and affixed thereto and extending transversethereto and parallel to the plates of said block beams, and locatorblocks projecting downwardly from the plates of said disposable palletsection and located adjacent plates of said block beams to limitrelative movement between the block beams and the grid bars in adirection transverse thereto to maintain a proper position of saiddisposable pallet section on said block beams.

2. In a beam pallet assembly, the combination comprising:

a first board means having an extended surface at the bottom thereof;

at least two block beams horizontally spaced on said first board meansand secured thereto, each of said block beams including a lowerelongated plate and an upper elongated plate and horizontally spacedspacer and support blocks aflixed to the top surface of said lowerplate, the lower plate of each block beam being attached to said boardmeans and the upper plate for each block beam being disposed in parallelvertically spaced relationship to the lower plate thereof;

and an impact strip extending across each end of said first board meansand having a lower surface coplanar with the lower surface of said firstboard means, said impact strip being of a material harder and moredurable than that of said first board means and being mounted on endportions of the lower plates of said block beams by removable fasteners,and said strips extending transverse to the direction of the greatestdimension of said plates of said block beams.

3. In a beam pallet assembly, the combination comprising:

a first board means having an extended surface at the bottom thereof;

at least two block beams horizontally spaced on said first board meansand secured thereto, each of said block beams including a lowerelongated plate and an upper elongated plate and horizontaly spacedspacer and support blocks afiixed to the top surface of said lowerplate, the lower plate of each block beam being attached to said boardmeans and the upper plate for each block beam being disposed in parallelvertically spaced relationship to the lower plate thereof; and adisposable sheet deck resting on top of said upper plates andcoextensive therewith to provide a load supporting surface area as greatas the floor area covered by said first board means.

4. In a beam pallet assembly, the combination comprising:

a first board means having an extended surface at the bottom thereof;

at least two block beams horizontally spaced on said first board meansand secured thereto, each of said block beams including a lowerelongated plate and an upper elongated plate and horizontally spacedspacer and support blocks afiixed to the top surface of said lowerplate, the lower plate of each block beam being attached to said boardmeans and the upper plate for each block beam being disposed in parallelvertically spaced relationship to the lower plate thereof,

the spacing between said plates and blocks in each block beam beingsuflicient to admit lifting forks of a fork lift truck to permit liftingand transporting said beams and board means with a disposable pallet ontop of said upper plates.

5. In a beam pallet assembly, the combination comprising:

a first board means having an extended surface at the bottom thereof;

at least two block beams horizontally spaced on said first board meansand secured thereto, each of said block beams including a lowerelongated plate and an upper elongated plate and horizontally spacedspacer and support blocks aflixed to the top surface of said lowerplate, the lower plate of each block beam being attached to said boardmeans and the upper plate for each block beam being disposed in parallelvertically spaced relationship to the lower plate thereof;

and a disposable sheet deck on top of said block beams,

said deck having downwardly projecting locators immediately adjacent toand between two of said block beams.

6. The pallet assembly of claim 5 wherein:

said locators are frusto conical cups of sufficient length to enablethem to serve as floor support legs for said sheet decks when said deckis separated from said block beams, to support said sheet deck asufficient distance above a floor to permit lifting forks of a fork lifttruck to move thereunder for facilitating lifting, carrying, anddepositing thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,493,562 1/1950Yarman 10858 2,686,646 8/1954 McMillan 10855 2,692,064 10/1954 Koester108-55 X 2,890,849 6/1959 Fogarty 10858 3,149,586 9/1964 Kemb et al.108-58 3,204,583 9/ 1965 Nicholson 10858 FRANK B. SHERRY, PrimaryExaminer.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A BEAM PALLET ASSEMBLY, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: A FIRST BOARD MEANS HAVING AN EXTENDED SURFACE AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF; AT LEAST TWO BLOCK BEAMS HORIZONTALLY SPACED ON SAID FIRST BOARD MEANS AND SECURED THERETO, EACH OF SAID BLOCK BEAMS INCLUDING A LOWER ELONGATED PLATE AND AN UPPER ELONGATED PLATE AND HORIZONTALLY SPACED SPACER AND SUPPORT BLOCKS AFFIXED TO THE TOP SURFACE OF SAID LOWER PLATE, THE LOWER PLATE OF EACH BLOCK BEAM BEING ATTACHED TO SAID BOARD MEANS AND THE UPPER PLATE FOR EACH BLOCK BEAM BEING DISPOSED IN PARALLEL VERTICALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE LOWER PLATE THEREOF; A DISPOSABLE GRID-TYPE PALLET SECTION ON TOP OF SAID BLOCK BEAMS AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL HORIZONTALLY SPACED PLATES RECEIVED ON AND SUPPORTED BY THE UPPER PLATES OF SAID BLOCK BEAMS AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THERETO, A PLURALITY OF PARALLEL HORIZONTALLY SPACED ELONGATED GRID BARS MOUNTED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PLATES OF SAID DISPOSABLE PALLET SECTION AND AFFIXED THERETO AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSE THERETO AND PARALLEL TO THE PLATES OF SAID BLOCK BEAMS, AND LOCATOR BLOCKS PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE PLATES OF SAID DISPOSABLE PALLET SECTION AND LOCATED ADJACENT PLATES OF SAID BLOCK BEAMS TO LIMIT RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN THE BLOCK BEAMS AND THE GRID BARS IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE THERETO TO MAINTAIN A PROPER POSITION OF SAID DISPOSABLE PALLET SECTION ON SAID BLOCK BEAMS. 